Friday, 29 January 2010

JERUSALEM — Israel sent a letter to the United Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, on Friday, defending the credibility of its internal military investigation into the Israeli army’s conduct during last winter’s Gaza war.

The 40-page document was the first Israeli official response to a harshly critical United Nations study called the Goldstone report and formed part of Israel’s effort to stave off accusations of war crimes.

Dubai authorities say they have identified the murderers of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, as "European passport holder", according to the BBC. His funeral in Damascus was attended by tens of thousands of mourners. Hamas accuses Mossad of killing al-Mabhou.

Israel has missed the deadline to get its report to the UN but it now says, according to the defence minister, that it will be sending a report after all. It seems Israel's arrogance is clouding the judgment of its leaders, and now they have decided that perhaps they have over-stepped the mark by showing such disrespect to international governmental bodies.

As a deadline neared, Israel will hand to the United Nations Friday a report justifying its actions during last year's Gaza campaign and rebutting the so-called "Goldstone Report" as biased.

At a tree-planting ceremony southern Israel Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak confirmed that the response would be handed over and said, "This report stresses that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is like no other army, both from a moral standpoint as well as from a professional standpoint.

Israel's attorney general fears that his country faces 'Serbianization' by which he means it will be seen as an outcast among nations, unless it makes the pretence of at least holding an 'independent' inquiry into the Gaza war. The Goldstone report is hurting Israel big time and the more far-sighted among the leadersip are belated recognising this fact.

The Goldstone report is a serious threat to Israel that will "continue to haunt us and take away our legitimacy," outgoing Attorney General Menachem Mazuz told Haaretz in an interview.

"There is a danger here of a 'Serbianization' of Israel," even though the report on the Gaza war was biased and contains unsubstantiated conclusions, Mazuz said. "Therefore I believe that Israel has a clear interest in conducting a serious, expert examination that will deal with the report and produce an opposing report. It would be a serious mistake not to establish some sort of committee. We must remove the shame of accusing Israel of being a country that commits war crimes."

Mossad have been up to their grisly tricks again - this time hunting down and torturing to death leading Hamas quartermaster, Mahmud Abdel Rauf al-Mabhu, while he was in Dubai.

GAZA CITY — A top Hamas leader who died in Dubai earlier this month was killed by electric shock after an electrical appliance was held to his head, one of his brothers said on Friday, blaming Israeli agents.

He said that Mahmud Abdel Rauf al-Mabhuh, who was in charge of obtaining weapons for Hamas, was in Dubai on a mission for the Islamist movement.

"The first results of a joint investigation by Hamas and the (United Arab) Emirates show he was killed by an electrical appliance that was held to his head," Fayed al-Mabhuh told AFP by telephone.

"Material was sent to a Paris laboratory which confirmed he was killed by electric shock."

Tony Blair the war criminal came back to Westminster today to atone for his crimes against humanity. See another video link here

Will the inquiry hold him to account? Don't make me laugh - this is the same British establishment that backed the war in the first place. Indeed the same people who now tell us they woon't release the papers relating too the death of Dr Kelly for 60 years.